Evidence Based Research

Welcome to the official website for the Red Book of Scotland, a project dedicated to researching Scotland's genealogical heritage.

1987 was the year in which the first parts of what was to become the Red Book of Scotland project were brought together. From then until now research has been continual and has focused on searching through thousands of extant primary source records to accurately compile in-depth and comprehensive genealogical accounts of many of Scotland's principal families.Read More ->

We are proud to announce that the Red Book of Scotland is now available via Tanner Ritchie Publishing!

Tanner Ritchie are also the sole distributors of digital editions of all Scottish Record Society publications. These are an essential source for any serious researcher of Scottish history so be sure to check out their catalogue.

National Records of Scotland & Scotlandspeople

We are also delighted to announce that theRed Book of Scotland is now available in the National Records of Scotland and Scotlandspeople search rooms in Edinburgh.

Find My Past

Don't forget that you can also find a selection of entries from the Red Book of Scotland series at the excellent Find My Past.

Volume 9 now Released and Available

We are delighted to announce that volume 9 of theRed Book of Scotland has now been released and is available from this website and also Tanner Ritchie Publishing. Details on content can be found here.

Social Bite

We are extremely pleased to announce that as of 1st March 2019, we will be supporting the admirable work of Social Bite to fulfill their mission to "build a collaborative movement to end Homelessness in Scotland" by donating 10% of each sale and research commission to them. Further details on their work and how you too can support them can be found on their website at www.social-bite.co.uk

Reviews

"A fundamental requirement for many researchers of Scottish history, whether local or national, in the Highlands or in the Lowlands, is that they possess a grasp of the tangled family trees of the nation’s magnates and gentry. Designed to satisfy this need, Gordon MacGregor’s Red Bookof Scotland is an ambitious eight-volume, 7,500-page genealogical blockbuster going far beyond existing individual clan and family histories. Synthesising published sources with meticulous original archival research, it offers a panoramic view of the hundreds of families who administered Scotland’s regions from the medieval era to the modern day. Laid out with admirable clarity, fully sourced and fully searchable electronically, its eight volumes allow the user to identify and locate specific individuals, as well as to trace the rise and fall of kindreds – and kindred alliances – down through the centuries. A classic in the making, breathtakingly encyclopaedic in scope, The Red Book of Scotland offers its readers the addictive qualities of a Scottish Debrett’s or Almanach de Gotha."

Some of the other comments we regularly receive:

The book was great for fact checking and ensuring we were telling the right story. The panels that are now in the North West tower don't go into enormous detail, but they do rest on solid ground - National Trust for Scotland.

I am writing on behalf of the Baillie Collection held by the Scottish History area here at the University of Glasgow. We would like to acquire a set of the the Red Books for staff and postgraduate researchers - University of Glasgow.

What a marvelous work, you are to be thoroughly congratulated.

Our lecturer says his department have been reviewing these volumes in the most positive terms

It is a monumental piece of work and I do congratulate you

I’m absolutely delighted to have a copy and cannot thank you enough! It is a true treasure trove for anyone interested in Scotland’s landed families, and based on (presumably) countless hours of painstaking research.

Hats off sir, your work continues to amaze.

Many enjoyable hours have been spent with the volumes.

Simply outstanding

I like the well-researched volumes very much.

A staggering body of work. There is no doubt the Red Book will become the "industry standard" for all genealogical inquiries.

Thanks to you and the Red Book, within half an hour I had located my Robertson and Stewart ancestors and had taken my family all the way back to the 12th century.

I cannot begin to thank you for your time and expertise in putting a work like this together. What an achievement!

You've made a nice dent in my genealogy for me, and I thank you very much for that.

Thank you for all of your work, compiling the plethora of information; very much appreciated!

Firstly I must congratulate on your work - an outstanding feat of research.

Thank you for putting these books together. They are wonderful. I have already found things in them that aid me in my research.

Your research has been absolutely crucial in allowing me to trace who these people were, and the family connections between them.

For over a year now I have been heavily involved in research into Highland Perthshire during the late eighteenth century, and there is not a month that goes past when I don't profit from your research.